Deluxe four CD set. Oscar Pettiford was undoubtedly the most talented Jazz bassist of the BeBop era. He was also the first musician to adapt the pizzicato bass style to the cello. Pettiford's beautiful intonation and amazi... more &raquong mobility on the contrabass and cello can be heard within the 80 tracks on this set. Pettiford became an all-time king of Jazz, the most talented Jazz bassist of the BeBop era, his mobility on the bass was consistently amazing. His wonderfully propulsive bass playing told a story as only Oscar Pettiford could, but somehow one feels that, like Kenny Clarke, Oscar Pettiford has never truly been given his due. Proper Deluxe.&laquo less

Synopsis

Album Description

Deluxe four CD set. Oscar Pettiford was undoubtedly the most talented Jazz bassist of the BeBop era. He was also the first musician to adapt the pizzicato bass style to the cello. Pettiford's beautiful intonation and amazing mobility on the contrabass and cello can be heard within the 80 tracks on this set. Pettiford became an all-time king of Jazz, the most talented Jazz bassist of the BeBop era, his mobility on the bass was consistently amazing. His wonderfully propulsive bass playing told a story as only Oscar Pettiford could, but somehow one feels that, like Kenny Clarke, Oscar Pettiford has never truly been given his due. Proper Deluxe.

CD Reviews

Great Oscar Pettiford Compilation

mg | Albuquerque | 05/31/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, it should be noted that this box set contains much more than the 12 tracks listed. There are in fact 80 tracks on 4 discs spanning most of Pettiford's recording career, from 1943 to 1957. Pettiford is featured in a variety of settings from small groups led by himself, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie and others, to the big bands of Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Boyd Raeburn and Pettiford's own short lived big band. Also included are 43 pages of informative liner notes with a number of historical photos of OP.

This set is an incredible deal for someone who wants an in-depth introduction to one of the greatest jazz bassists. The only possible downsides are that those who already have started an Oscar Pettiford library may have a number of these tracks on other discs, and the fact that this collection does not contain any recordings from Pettiford's time in Europe from 1958 to his death in 1960. Fortunately, much of this material is available on other releases."